TYLER, Texas — The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority is addressing Toll 49 safety concerns after a Monday afternoon three-vehicle accident sent three people to the hospital and caused the road to be shut down for hours.
NETRMA Executive Director Chris Miller says the organization pays attention to every accident, as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety reports on the causes of the accidents.
"We're confident that we've looked into every situation and we've done our very best to address it," Miller explains.
He also brought up the situations they've handled, like pavement failure on the road. Miller says although pavement problems never caused an accident, it did result in the organization widening the roadway in some areas.
NETRMA began safety upgrades for Toll 49 in 2017. The initiative included creating a 4' median with rumble strips and the addition of passing lanes in designated locations.
The goal was to create a safer roadway and make drivers more comfortable.
Miller says most of the accidents, giving the toll road a bad reputation, are due to distractions.
"It has to do a lot of times with some kind of a distraction that happened," says Miller. "We need drivers that are going to not get on the phone, not be looking down at their phone, not texting, not playing or fiddling with a radio or being distracted in some way. And by all means, not under the influence of some kind of substance, alcohol or drugs."
